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The Nairobi City County government spent a total of Sh18 billion on paying employees in the last financial year, with almost 6,000 of them refusing to go on annual leave to avoid losing perks and allowances.
Nairobi City County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Imwatok told a plenary session last Thursday that the county government is unable to meet its development obligations due to the huge wage bill, which threatens to cripple its operations.
In response to the soaring wage bill, Mr Imwatok moved a motion requiring all employees who have not taken annual leave for the past four to six years to be given notice and sent on compulsory leave to curb the financial strain.
The MCAs were informed that some senior officials in both the County Executive and County Assembly have not taken leave for the past six years and are not seeking compensation for the accumulated leave days.
According to county government officials, some of these individuals are also ghost workers.
“We receive funds from the Controller of Budget every week, but the funds are not adequate to run the county government. Every week, the Finance CEC is always borrowing money to pay salaries and allowances for officials. This must come to an end. We are nurturing corruption because some of these officials are afraid of missing out on deals while they are on leave. We cannot work like that,” Mr Imwatok said.
The motion also seeks to mandate that all county government employees who have attained the age of 60 should retire without seeking extensions to their terms.
“Those who have reached the age of 60 should just leave office and allow others to take over. We have young people ready to learn from them and move forward. The law requires that once you reach the age of 60, you are sent on terminal leave in readiness to hand over. We will not allow the violation of the law to please anyone,” Mr Imwatok added.
Among the most affected is the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company, where a senior official who has reached the age of 60 is reportedly seeking an extension.
This revelation comes as the county government struggles to meet its obligations amid a cash crunch that has persisted for several months.
Despite the ballooning wage bill, the county has continued its recruitment and promotion spree, leading to a Sh6.97 billion increase in the wage bill from the Sh12 billion recorded in the previous financial year.
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